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At the Tokyo Olympics, India is sending a total of 9 pugilists and the expectation is for them to come home with at least one medal. Amateur boxing has been one of the hallmark events of the Summer Olympics since its inception and India has slowly and steadily made up ground in the event.
India was always a threat in the Asian Games, with their first medal coming way back in 1958 in Tokyo. Hari Singh won a silver in the middleweight (75kg) category while Sundar Rao won a bronze medal in the lightweight (60kg) division. However, the nation had to wait until 2008 to win a medal at the Olympics.
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So how did India transform from a minnow on the world stage to an Olympic medal contender in boxing? Let's find out.
The initial performance of Indian boxers in the Olympics
According to Olympedia.org, India debuted in boxing during the 1948 Summer Olympics. A delegation of eight boxers took the trip to London to feature in 7 events.
Baby Arathoon, the Amateur Boxing Heavyweight Champion of India, Burma, and Ceylon at the time, captained the unit. However, the organizers didn't allow him to participate as he was born in Iran.
Bob Lall was the only Indian boxer to win a match in the middleweight division as all his other compatriots lost their opening bouts.
In the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Ron Norris missed out on a bronze medal after losing in the quarter-finals of the welterweight division (67kg). India didn't send any boxers to the Olympic Games until the 1972 edition in Munich.
Gurcharan Singh tied Norris' quarter-final finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when he bowed out in the light heavyweight (81kg) division. Vijender Singh finally took it one step further by winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Which states in India are dominating the boxing scene?
Like other Olympic sports, boxing is also dominated by a couple of states and is not ubiquitous throughout India. The state of Haryana has produced a mammoth 9 boxers in the Olympics since 2000.
Bhiwani Boxing Club - or BBC as it is locally known - has made a name for itself by churning out boxers regularly on the international stage. Hawa Singh, a double Asian Games gold medallist in the heavyweight category, started the club and pupils like Vijender Singh haven't disappointed him.
Also Read: Boxing from Bhiwani, India's "mini-Cuba"
Manipur has also been a strong base for producing Olympic boxers. The late Dingko Singh served as an inspiration for the youth of the state and Mary Kom followed in his footsteps to win 6 World Championships and one Olympic bronze medal.
Jharkhand has been slowly losing its grip on boxing. Since Anthresh Lakra's performance in the 2008 Summer Olympics, the state hasn't produced a single Olympian.
One state which has been slowly and steadily making its mark on the national stage is Assam. Lovlina Borgohain will represent India at the Tokyo Olympics, while others like Shiva Thapa and Jamuna Boro will hope to achieve the same in three years' time.
What to expect from Indian boxers at the Tokyo Olympics?
India have a total of two bronze medals in their collection in boxing and will hope to increase their tally. Amit Panghal is the country's best bet to win a medal in Tokyo.
The 25-year-old finished as runners-up at the 2019 World Boxing Championships after losing to Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov in the flyweight (52kg) category. A rematch between the duo took place at the 2021 Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok a month earlier, but Panghal once again fell short.
Also Read: Working on my reach and power in Europe training, says boxer Amit Panghal
Manish Kaushik was the only other male boxer to return with a podium finish as he won a bronze medal in the light welterweight category. Vikas Krishan, Ashish Kumar, and Satish Kumar are the other three male boxers joining the bandwagon in Tokyo.
On the women's front, Pooja Rani recently won a gold medal in the 2021 Asian Boxing Championships. However, she started directly from the finals and all the four medallists at the 2019 World Boxing Championships in her weight category (middleweight - 75kg) were from outside Asia.
Mary Kom ended up with a silver medal in the 2021 Asian Boxing Championships after starting from the semi-finals. Although Claressa Shields will be absent from the Tokyo Olympics after switching gears to MMA, Mary should not let her guard down.
Lovlina Borgohain and Simranjit Kaur are the other two female boxers joining the troop in Tokyo.
India is sending its largest ever boxing contingent to the Olympics in 2021. The least expectation from them is not to return empty-handed.
